There’s something called good makeup and then there’s FLAWLESS makeup which can mostly be done by makeup artists. Allure magazine reached out to numerous makeup artists for this same reason and have some really helpful tips for you.
Go through the list to learn the REALLY important hacks!
The Right Shade and Formula.
- “When you’re buying a new foundation, test a few shades in natural light, then squint. The color that disappears when you squint is your match.” — Nick Barose
- “You don’t want your face darker than your neck — test shadesaround your jawline, or dust bronzer on your neck to even everything out.” — Jillian Dempsey
- “Buy a foundation in two shades: one for imperfections and a lighter shade to highlight your chin, cheekbones, and the bridge of your nose. — AJ Crimson
- “If you can’t find a perfect shade__, buy one that’s slightly darker than your skin and one that’s slightly lighter, then fine-tune the color yourself.” — Lora Arellano
- “For photo ops, use a primer and a sheer matte foundation. Luminous formulas look shiny in pictures.” — Nick Barose, Lupita Nyong’o’s go-to makeup artist
- “Most oil-free foundations oxidize— turn yellow or orange — on oily skin throughout the day, so test them for a few hours before you buy one.” — Laura Mercier
The Right Tools
- “Look for rounded foundation brusheswith synthetic hairs — they’re usually labeled powder brushes, but they’re the best for blending.” — Arellano
- “Small, fluffy synthetic brushesare fantastic for blending concealer over redness and imperfections on the chin, forehead, and nostrils” — Linda Cantello
- “Mist a fluffy brush with facial spray, and press it over your makeup — foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter — to make everything look more like skin.” — Arellano
- “Buff, buff, bufffoundation into the skin — quickly, like a whirlwind — with a brush. It ensures the coverage won’t look heavy-handed.” — Vincent Oquendo
- “Put on foundation, and then press it into your skinwith a damp sponge until it’s seamlessly blended.”— Patrick Ta
Using Hands
- “I like to apply foundation with my hands to help warm it up, press it into the skin and into the contours of the skin. I usually go in outward, circular motions. Then, I fine-tune any additional blending with a clean foundation brush.” — Joseph Carrillo, who’s worked with Alexa Chung, Portia Doubleday, and Lily Rabe
- “Use the natural warmth that emanates from your fingers to help diffuse the product, taking special care to blend well on the chin and jawline, as well as down the nose. Here is where Beauty blender (or any great blending sponge) is your best friend, as it really pushes the product into the skin and erases any ‘makeup-y’ texture — a telltale sign of badly applied foundation.” — Suzy Gerstein, who’s worked with St. Vincent and Camilla Belle
- “I love starting with a sheer, lightweight foundation, blending it all over, and massaging into my face with my fingertips. This way, all the product is being blended into your skin and not being eaten up by your sponge or brush. This should give you a smooth veil of coverage, eliminating any redness or unevenness.” —Joey Camasta, director of makeup artistry at Ready to Wear Beauty
Prepping the skin
- “To achieve a glowy look, start with your skin-care routine. I like to use a face oil before I prime the skin, and then I follow with foundation.” —Matin, who’s worked with Claire Danes, Lena Dunham, and Tracee Ellis Ross
- “Prepping skingives you gorgeous, dewy foundation. Use face oil mixed with moisturizer on your cheekbones, chin, and the peak of your forehead.” — Patrick Ta
- “Add foundation to your moisturizer if you want a lighter application, and in winter when your skin is really dry, ” —Fabiola,
- If you’ve got dry patches, press a small piece of Scotch tape over the area before you do your makeup. It’ll remove skin that’s ready to slough off.” — Robin Black of Beauty is Boring
Using too much foundation
- It’s very French to let your skin show throughyour foundation. After you’ve put yours on, press a tissue on top to remove excess.”
- “Apply foundation sparingly — and only to the parts of the skin that need to be evened out. This way, you have some barer areas of the complexion, which gives the overall look a more natural finish.” —Molly R. Stern,
- “To avoid creasing, put foundation on smooth, unlined areas first, like your cheeks. Blend from there, skipping crow’s-feet and smile lines.” — Mercier
Concealers
- “Cover redness or acnewith foundation, then concealer. Use a brush on pimples — fingers push makeup aside instead of covering the top of a blemish.” — Mercier
- “On sun spots, use a concealer that’s a shade lighter than your skin with peach or gold undertones; top it with a pressed-powder foundation.” — Mally Roncal
- “A lot of people have redness and imperfectionsaround their lip line. Cover them with a little concealer.” — Cantello
The perfect finish
- “I always contour because a solid base often looks flat. Using a foundation about three shades darker than your usual formula as a contour helps refine, resculpt, add warmth, and define. I like to warm up the hairline, temples, and under the natural contour of the cheekbones with this darker shade. ” — Carrillo
- “You can set foundationwithout caking on powder. Separate a two-ply tissue, place half over your skin, then dust loose powder on top.” — Crimson
To glow
- “Mix foundationwith a few drops of a shimmering gel highlighter to create an all over, yet still natural-looking, glow.” —Vanngo
- “After applying foundation, spray a skin-soothing mist onto the large, flat side of a damp beauty blender and press it into your skin all over to diffuse the look of ‘makeup’ and give you a very natural, hydrated complexion.” —Michael Anthony
Touch ups
- “Instead of using setting powder for shine control touch-ups throughout the day, use blotting papers to avoid looking like you have too much makeup on.” —Min Min Ma
- “Rather than reapplying in the afternoon, try freshening up makeup throughout the day with a spritz of toner. This reactivates the pigments in foundation and leaves the skin feeling hydrated, fresh, and glowing—not to mention making foundation look fresh.” —Aidan Keogh
- “When touching up, use a foundation brush to swirl moisturizer over your skin before adding more foundation.” — Phillips
